Sosa Boosts Homer Total to 30 in Cub Loss

Yes, Sammy Sosa is happy to be hitting so well. And he’s honored to be mentioned in the same breath with Willie Mays, Roger Maris and Mark McGwire.

But if the Cubs don’t win, all those homers he’s hitting don’t mean much.

Despite Sosa’s 17th home run this month, Chicago lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-2, Sunday when Bobby Abreu drove in four runs and Tyler Green struck out 10 at Chicago.

“We’re not going to win every day, but today was definitely a disappointment,” said Sosa, who also drove in Chicago’s other run.

Sosa has always been known as a power hitter, but he’s on an unprecedented streak this month.

His solo home run in the fourth inning extended his major league record for homers in June, and tied Mays’ NL mark for home runs in any month. With eight games left in June, he has a good chance to break the major league record for homers in a single month--18, by Detroit’s Rudy York in August 1937.

Sosa has 30 home runs this season, and he’s connected 10 times in his last nine games, and 21 times in the past 22. Despite his hot bat, Sosa insists he’s no Maris or McGwire.

St. Louis 5, Arizona 4--Clint Sodowsky’s bases-loaded wild pitch in the eighth inning gave the Cardinals a victory over the Diamondbacks at St. Louis and extended their winning streak to four games.

Mark McGwire, who leads the majors with 33 home runs, went homerless for the third consecutive game. He walked in the first, struck out in the third, was hit by a pitch in the fifth and singled in the seventh.

Pittsburgh 8, Milwaukee 7--Jose Guillen hit a grand slam and the Pirates nearly blew a seven-run lead before winning at Milwaukee.

The Brewers, trailing 8-1 in the seventh inning, rallied behind Jeff Cirillo. He hit a two-run single in the eighth, and another two-run single with two outs in the ninth.

New York 3, Florida 2--John Franco escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the eighth inning and the Mets held off the Marlins at New York to end a four-game losing streak.

After the Marlins loaded the bases in the eighth against Met relievers John Hudek and Dennis Cook, Franco entered. John Wehner hit a comebacker to Franco, who got a forceout at the plate.

Franco then struck out Mike Redmond and pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay, and the lefty reliever ran off the mound with both arms raised. Franco worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth and got his 16th save.

Montreal 4, Atlanta 1--Dustin Hermanson pitched five-hit ball for eight innings and the Expos defeated the Braves at Montreal to give Montreal Manager Felipe Alou his 500th career victory.

Hermanson (5-6) shut down the NL’s top offense, giving up only a seventh-inning home run to Michael Tucker. He struck out five and won for only the second time in six starts.

Houston 3, Cincinnati 1--Pete Schourek pitched six solid innings and Jeff Bagwell drove in a run at Houston as the Astros handed the Reds their eighth loss in a row.

Schourek (4-5) gave up five hits and one run.